PITTSBURGH — As Brandon Tanev skated on the ice the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility on Monday, a couple of his former teammates looked on and started booing.

“I would be in that group for sure,” Winnipeg Jets centre Andrew Copp said.

“He’s a good guy to have fun with.”

Tanev, who scored 24 goals in three seasons with the Jets, signed a six-year contract with the Penguins on July 1 after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

There was no particular desire on Tanev’s part to leave, but the Jets had a salary-cap crunch and they couldn’t afford the asking price he and his agent believed he had earned.

The Penguins were willing to pay it and now, instead of skating on a line with Copp and Adam Lowry in Winnipeg, Tanev is playing a top-six role with the Penguins, at times playing with Sidney Crosby, at others with the now-injured Evgeni Malkin.

“Selfishly you want him on your team because he’s a great player and brings a lot of things that you need to win,” Copp said. “You saw the contract that he signed … it’s almost unprecedented for the kind of player that he is. That’s just a testament to how good he is at his job and what he brings on a day-to-day level. He’s the kind of person you want around in your room and I was obviously very happy for him.”

Tanev played 195 games with the Jets and had 51 points. He was better known as a guy who hit everything and was a tenacious penalty killer.

He performed well for the Jets in the playoffs, getting five goals and eight points in 22 games.

“It was unbelievable to be a part of the long run and to see how amazing the city and the organization was,” Tanev said of his time in Winnipeg.

“Just the way the city was and how everyone treated me will stand out for me. And how crazy and great a hockey city it is. I’m thankful for Winnipeg and everything they did for me and my career. I’m really looking forward to this game.”

Tanev has one assist in two regular-season games and spent most of his time on a line with Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk.

The Penguins believe he has more offensive upside than he showed in Winnipeg and that’s likely why he’s playing on the second line. They like his 200-foot game, his sound defensive play, his fore-checking abilities.

Yes, those do sound like attributes of a grinder but the Penguins prefer not to characterize players as being top-six or bottom-six. They simply want to surround their best players with others who will make them more successful.

“He’s been everything we expected we would get when we signed him,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He brings a ton of speed, he brings a lot of energy, he’s a physical presence. He’s a good penalty killer. He’s done a real good job for us.”

Tanev said it’s been an adjustment period for him with his new team but he’s starting to feel as comfortable as possible. Being around world-class players like Crosby and Malkin every day will do that.

“They’re both unbelievable players and have been for a long time,” Tanev said. “It’s nice to out there and play with them and build some confidence and pick their brains in practice.”

And when you get on the ice with them?

“Just keep it simple and find your ice,” Tanev said. “They’re such good players that you want to find open space and just get the puck to them. They are so gifted.”

You can tell Tanev was genuinely liked in the Jets dressing room for his attributes on and off the ice.

“Seeing him get a shot with Crosby and I know he had a shot with Malkin in camp, I texted him that he maybe upgraded his centreman over the summer,” Lowry joked.

“He’s going to skate around and he’s probably going to run into a few of us. It will be different seeing him to that in a different jersey but it’ll be fun.”

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who is likely to start on Tuesday, said facing Tanev will be no different from practice in Winnipeg over the last few years.

“I stopped him all last year so I don’t see why one game would change anything,” Hellebuyck said. “You can let him know that too.”

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